The royal guard are made up of different regimens, such as the "grenadier guards", "coldstream guards", the "Welsh guards", the "Scots guards", the "Irish guards", and regiments of the household cavalry, each regiment has its own uniform, there are also a variations of length of coat for winter and summer. each of the regiments rotate through ceremonial, combat, and guard duties, as all members of the guards are fully trained and combat ready

Depends on which sections you mean rather as a whole its called the Household Division of the British Army they are regiments within, that includes the 5 regiments of foot Grendiers (take their name from the French Imperial Guard under Napoleon the oldest of the foot guards regiments, their ceremonial company is named Nijmegan (pronounced nymegan)), Coldstream (named after the town called Coldstream in the Scottish Borders and is the oldest continually serving regiment in the army overall, are two ceremonial companies one being No. 21 company), Irish, Scots and Welsh Guards (all of which have their own band with a drum major, who wear the standard clothing when its a member of the royal family's birthday, can mean any member of them not just the Monarch). Reason for the strap being over their chin, isnt used anymore of course (is purely ceremonial) but when someone would go at a solider with a sword its to protect their chin, the same way with a knight, they'd never go into a battle having any area of their head showing, as any opponent could stick a sword in that area and kill them potentially. A sergeants cuffs on the tunics, the wrists of them are embroidered with real thread gold, forgot the taylor's they use (commissioned by the MoD, which is Kashkets in London who make them), but are hand embroidered and alone would cost in the region of at least £300 each, the whole tunic uniform costs the MoD about £3,000. Are hand made for each serving soldier. The Household Cavalry consists of two regiments the Life Guards (Red) and the Blues and Royals (Navy Blue).

The reason why the guards slip over sometimes is because they have hobnails in the souls of their boots to stop their boots wearing out from marching and standing in one place for long periods of time and because most of the grounds round a lot of the royal palaces are old so they're stone cobbled the metal hobnails don't give much grip on that sort of surface hence they don't really trip they slip if you watch closely.

I always e joy watching the Royal Guard knocking disrespectful tourists flying. Some people are so disrespectful and try to make the guards step around them.

@@vladangelus7530 Aye, makes it even worse if its raining

The Scots were allies of the French for many years. It was called "The Auld Alliance". There is a Marshal of France who is mentioned on the Arc de Triomphe. He was Marechal MacDonald.

and vice verca ...allo allo!!

I like to think of it as a series of cheese and wine cruises.

French, yous have been annoying more than the French for hundreds of years

I have a French friend, whenever I see him I greet him with a two finger salute and a shout of Agincourt! I also keep reminding him that William The Conqueror was a viking. We get on well. Most of the time.

They really are. They split their time between front line combat and ceremonial duties. They call this duty 'the green and the red'.

It's not just the skin but the uniform is made of wool so it can get really hot

But the guns are not loaded.

@@paulcorcoran7295 yes they are, more often than you think.

@@paulcorcoran7295 my friend they are loaded. At all times

The Coldstream Guards are not the oldest regiment. The Grenadiers are senior in the foot guards. The Grenadiers were loyal to the Crown during the Civil War, not like the Coldstream. The Coldstream Guards had to lay down their arms and be reformed after the Civil War.

Utmost respect to your son 🇬🇧

@@whatistruth8755 actually we ARE the oldest in CONTINIOUS SERVICE

@@whatistruth8755 The Gobblers may be senior but is an honor given since they actually protected the crown. The Scot’s Guards are actually the oldest in the Household Division

@@dabsy123 formed in 1642 long before the sheepshagers or the gobblers

I saw a family a male and some younger people "harrassing" the soldier on Guard Duty at Windsor Castle, they where mauling him and wiping their hands on his uniform, which takes many hours to keep spotless. the armewd Police where brought to deal with the matter got their "passports took them to the checkpoint and "banned " from entering again.

You are absolutely right to be proud. 💖

I served as a Royal Marine Commando and I loved the Welsh and Scottish lads they were brilliant hard working and capable guys but also generous and funny and I remember on excercise the banter and humour these two groups showed more than most except maybe the scouse lads who could not speak more than a sentence without a wry humorous observation or a joke under the coldest most arduous conditions . Wales and Scotland I salute you with respect from an Englishman .

My dad was Welsh Guards as well xxx He left before the Falklands but I lost friends on the Galahad xx

My Dad was a very proud Welsh Guards man, who served during WWII. He didn't speak about the war, nor what he did. We have since learned somethings, which make us even more proud of him. A Welsh Guards man, from our town, died on Sir Galahad.

What unit were you with? I'm ex RAMC.

Only idiots! The British armed Forces are highly respected.

Ex royal engineer just saying hi 😁

@@clayhead12000 REME.

@@andrewjohnston4127 i think we have all lived in the mud at one time or another so.... Hello you!

Except that nobody who is actually in the business would use such a convoluted term as "Home Service Dress Tunics". It's just Full Dress or Scarlets.

@@alvindurochermtl type in difference between red coat and grey coat see what it says

@@bazcrowther8205 The grey coat isn't a form of dress in the British Army nor across the armies of the Commonwealth, it's just a winter kit as opposed to Scarlets which is a form of the Full Dress. All units could wear the great coat for ceremonials in winter, not every unit wears scarlets. Learn the difference.

@@alvindurochermtl I know the difference my cousin is in the royal horse guards they wear blue

@@bazcrowther8205 Have we been talking about the horse guards here? No we have not. Do foot guards wear No. 1 blues for the changing of the guard? No they do not.

Thank you for your service

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment provided the Guard a few weeks ago. The RCMP have also provided guards.

@@TheNatashaDebbieShow some that might be of interest you, the field gun competition and manning the mast, both naval, another which probably be more for yourselves due to the length is the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance unless you broke it down into segments.

They meant the American one look on KZfaq to see the same types of stupidity and short shrift from the guard.

What a lovely and respectful tradition 💖

@@Macbeth99 its started with a royal bride who's brother had recently died in war

@@Margatatials Oh, that's even more poignant. I'm from the UK, but I didn't know that. Do you know which Royal Bride it was ? I can only think it was the Queen Mother, just thinking of the dates and the age she would have been Thank you so much for sharing that

@@Macbeth99 yeah It was the queen other, her brother Angus I think died in wwi

The Queens Guards are the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards and the Scots Guards on foot, then you have the cavalry the Blues and Royals, and the Household Cavalry. These are the main guards of the Royal Household.

​​@@ronaldhammer5186The group you are calling the household cavalry are actually called the Life Guards, with both the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals combined to make up the Household Cavalry. All 7 Regiments combine to create the Household Division. Don't forget the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which aren't part of the Household Division but are very important nonetheless. Also, FYI, the foot guard regiments as you listed are: 1, 2, 5, 4, 3. That's important for recognizing who is who as that is the button arrangement on the front of their tunics and the sleeve cuffs.

Was just going to post this xx

@@Margatatials not true. They tried synthetic products but it doesn't hold up as well as bear fur. They also don't make them offten and they get used for many years before they have to be replaced.

@@Margatatials No. The ranks wear fur from black bears. The officers wear fur from brown bears which is dyed to match the black bear fur (don't ask me why). There is no artificial fur.

Correct, although strictly-speaking it's "Trooping the Colour", not "Trooping OF the Colour".

@@ftumschk it is actually called the Queens Birthday Parade.

@@michaeltaylor9445 Indeed that's one of its titles: _"In the United Kingdom, Trooping the Colour _*_is also known_*_ as the Queen's Birthday Parade"_ (Wikipedia). Please note: "also known", not "actually". The main thing is that the title refers to Trooping "the" Colour (regimental flag), not Trooping "of the" Colour. I think people confuse it with "The Changing of the Guard", a mistake I've sometimes made myself.

@@ftumschk Thank you for your reply. Within the Household Devision it is always referred to as the Queens Birthday Parade (QBP). The Foot Guards are not the only regiment to have their colours on parade, the Household Cavalry and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery also parade with their Colours and parade past the Queen.

In 2012, as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations they had various units from around the Commonwealth providing Ceremonial duties. The only civilian organisation to provide ceremonial guards is the RCMP.

Lol. About a thousand years of antagonizing each other, eh?

@@stephanieellis5399 we have a COmplicated relationship with france LOL

@@Greenwood4727 that's what happens with family... But not family, but we'll marry into each other's families but that doesn't make us family cuz you pissed me off that one time when you slept with my brother's wife then tricked her into giving you the house she got in the divorce and then we sorta made up until we brought up that one time we...and you got pissed and, and, and... But don't nobody try and pick on us other than the other cuz we fam'ly and fam'ly can piss off fam'ly but we got each other's backs when anybody else tries it.

@@stephanieellis5399 it even works down to town level, we have a similar thing with a neighbouring town, centuries of rivalry, for an outsider we hate each other, but attack them and you attack us, same with the north and south, it looks like we hate each other, but same with scotland and wales and norther ireland outsiders only see the obvious, but they dont see the love we have deep inside for others in the UK. its what makes us Brits (all of us special),

@@Greenwood4727 did I get it just about right, though?

RiP to your Uncle & that's epic

Let me fix that, Grenadiers, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh.

the life guards and blues and royals didn't exist during the civil war the life guards were formed in 1660 and blues and royals in 1669

Thank you for clarifying that- I’m a Brit and wasn’t aware of the history. Fascinating!

Yes,especially on wet cobbles!

One thing they showed on that documentary 'The Queen's Guard : A Year In Service' by Channel 5 was that those bearskins are regularly shampooed to keep them fluffy !

Thank you!! ❤️ ❤️

Thanks so much Robin!! We are honored to have you! ❤️

Bit of extra info. They actually are scarlet, it was a more expensive shade before synthetic dyes. Other British soldiers' uniforms were madder red.

❤️❤️😉

Nice. I was Royal Army Medical Corps for 13 years.

Thank you for your service!!

The Gurkhas have also performed as royal guards and taken part in the changing of the guard, (few, if any of them would meet the height requirements of the Guards regiments - but don't pick a fight with them, they are not to be messed with).

@@terryloveuk fully agree. My wife's grandfather was a Gurkha Officer during WW2. Tough as old boots. His only complaint was that they couldn't swim.

@RR Continued yes.

and those are real swords, and they know how to use them. a lot of people think they are just ceremonial but they are more than that, the bear skins come from canada, they are part of a culling system, to stop there being too many bears that would cause problems, so in fact the bears are Protected by the Royals, because they need the fur but only permitted culls

You gotta watch out for those Welches !

The Grenadier Guards are called that because they believed they had defeated Napoleon’s Grenadiers at Waterloo. In fact they had defeated the Chasseurs de la Garde, but they kept the Grenadier name! The word Welsh has been spelt Welch in the past (Royal Welch Fusiliers), but the Guards regiment has always been the Welsh Guards.

Dont wear the grey coats over the red tunics 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

The chain strap is not for holding the helmet in place. It is there purely to protect the face from sabre slashes.

@@JimGraham123 Ah, thanks. I think the helmet strap explanation applies. (I used to have a boss who was a former CSM - great fund of stories) but if it's different for the bearskin.

they are "studs"on the soles of their boots.

@@veronicawilliams7427 The correct name is hobnails.

So looking forward to the Jubilee celebrations 👑🇬🇧

Thursday 1st June.

Well said!

Na, it's a chin strap, just worn there for the reason you mentioned.

@@tobytaylor2154 A chin strap would do just that, go under the chin. Don't forget that there were cavalry wielding swords in the middle of a battle. They would attack the easiest part to hit the head and face of an opponent whilst riding past.The chin guard would help to deflect the blow. Or so I'm led to believe.

@@frankhyland6333 they moved the chin straps off the underside of the chin to where it is worn today. The chin strap was worn between the chin and lip for that reason but that's it, there is no nose strap or any other strap, just moved it up and the tradition stayed. I'm fully aware of the reasons of the why's and wherefores. It's a chin strap that has been moved up to protect the chin, not a chin guard, soldiers manipulate their kit all the time.

​@@tobytaylor2154 It's a chin or face guard to protect the face not just the chin.As you probably know that is the most vunerable target for a cavalry man to aim for. Anyway, We're both about right.

It's correct name is a curbchain It's kept on by 2 hooks inside the frame of the bearskin so when you're head expands in the heat over you go,keep wiggling your toes and rocking backwards and forwards on your heels and you won't faint

It's sad and vile. We can do better because we are better

@@TheNatashaDebbieShow you, were, probably like me,,, bought up to have respectful, inquisitve minds, the key word being respect,, I travel the world daily as part of my job.., and respect and understanding the difference are the most important things..

Amen

Maybe you can answer a question I have about the bearskin plumes? And why are some of them fluffed out and some are straight up and down?

@@charlottecunningham2141 A brilliant question and the Grenadiers and Welsh Guards have plumes made from horsehair and the plumes in bearskins from the Coldstream and Irish Guards are made from feathers. Of course the Scots Guards don't have them.

@@charlottecunningham2141 from what I’ve learned driving these guys (& gals) about, including the Guards bands, the senior the rank, the more fancy the plume so they stand out. The poor Guardsmen (Private) has what I call a stencil paint brush type lol

It would be messy if they had the runs lol

The reason they slip is also because the British forces wear hobnailed boots which can make it very slippery at times depending on the surface. They were also great for sliding in, the hobnails also give the distinctive crack sound when marching and coming to attention (army and air force only) we in the royal navy had more sense and slide the feet together.

And also the plumes on the bearskin. Grenadier Guards - White, on the left. Coldstream Guards - Red, on the right. Scots Guards - No plume. Irish Guards - Blue, on the right. Welsh Guards - White Green White ( descending), on the left.

@@kenUK762 I’ve still got my husbands plume and also his cap badge (a leek) and dog tags.

Or Ukranian tractor drivers.

@@clayhead12000 Or the grannies if we give them an Nlaw each...

The Guards regiments used to be The Brigade Of Guards.

Coldstream guards only became the oldest in 2006 when the Royal Scots were amalgamated,they still kinda exist as the first battalion of the Scottish Regiment as the Royal Scots borderers.They were originally formed in 1633!

I usually go every single year to the Trooping of the Colour, for very many years, doing a 400 mile return journey in order to do so. and unfortunately due to Covid it hasn't taken place.

Also if you count what used to be called the T.A. then The Honourable Artillery Company are the oldest active infantry regiment in the British Army (raised in about 1537).

@@clayhead12000 yep they were the Brigade of Guards when it was just The Grenadier Guards, The Coldstream Guards, and The Scots Guards.